A Better, More Diverse Senior Executive Service in 2050

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ConclusionThere is an urgent need for action to close the diversity gap in relation to theSenior Executive Service. The Obama administration demonstrated its commitmentto diversity by issuing the recent executive order. But we have heard theright words before—at the end of the Clinton administration, Executive OrderNo. 13171 was issued, calling for “outreach efforts to include organizationsoutside the Federal Government in order to increase the number of Hispaniccandidates in the selection pool for the Senior Executive Service.” 41 It is a shameit did not work.It is time to walk the talk. As the Obama administration moves forward, a keyobjective should be closing the diversity gap in the Senior Executive Service andwithin that the primary focus should be on Hispanics. The recommendations inthis report outline a strategy that could be implemented quickly. As the administrationdevelops its own plans, we strongly encourage it to embrace these recommendations.If they choose to do so, we offer three further observations:• The Doing What Works project has written elsewhere about the importance ofconstantly monitoring progress toward goals and adjusting plans to maximizethe chance of success. 42 This area of policy is no different to any other—it wouldbenefit from goal-focused, data-driven reviews that the administration is implementingfor other areas of policy.• The literature on diversity demonstrates that there is more to diversity in theworkplace than simply having a diverse workforce. There is also a need foraction to maximize the benefits of diversity at work, such as ensuring the majoritygroup is sensitive to cultural differences and are able to see past stereotypes.As the Obama administration develops its plans, it will want to ensure it alsoimplements policies in these areas.• Diversity is a sensitive issue. Actions to promote diversity can easily be misconstruedas being discrimination against groups who are currently overrep-27 Center for American Progress | A Better, More Diverse Senior Executive Service in 2050
esented. In implementing its strategies, the administration must be able todefend itself against the accusation that it is unfairly favoring or disfavoring anyparticular group. Most importantly, decisions on who to hire should always betaken on merit, with the best candidate offered the job. That is why the recommendedactions in this report are primarily about strengthening the diversityof the applicant pool. We believe strongly that it would be wrong to ask thoseresponsible for recruitment to take account of a candidate’s background. Theyshould simply be asked to hire the best person for the job.More than just the “right thing to do,” a more diverse workforce will lead to“good administration” through greater efficiencies, more innovation, and bettereffectiveness. A better, more diverse Senior Executive Service by 2050 isa reachable and worthy objective for the federal government. Taking the firststeps—most importantly the public establishment of agency responsibility andbenchmarks for improvement, and strengthening the applicant pool—today canensure the Senior Executive Service continues to be “responsive to the needs,policies, and goals of the nation.”28 Center for American Progress | A Better, More Diverse Senior Executive Service in 2050
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Page 6 and 7: Moreover, for a government to effec
Page 10 and 11: We start then with a review of wher
Page 13 and 14: and ethnicity, we were unable to fi
Page 15 and 16: Executive Service has grown 11 perc
Page 17 and 18: The case for diversityWhen the Seni
Page 19 and 20: Business leaders from different ind
Page 21 and 22: One reading of the federal governme
Page 23 and 24: Making a commitment to closing the
Page 25 and 26: Establish a sub-comittee of the Pre
Page 27 and 28: Diversity at Kaiser PermanenteThe f
Page 29: especially given the Obama administ
Page 33 and 34: AcknowledgementsThe authors are ext
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A Better, More Diverse Senior Executive Service in 2050

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